ListView Coloured Headers Example

Listview Colored Headers

The Listview control of VB 5.0, doesn't let the header control have a colored header buttons. So this code lets you have it, by subclassing the listview and intercepting the header painting to achieve the effect.

Module : mLVClrHdr :

Implementation of Subclassing function and CustomDraw notification of Header control to get colored header elements.

Main Logic:

Step 1 : Subclass the ListView and listen for WM_NOTIFY message from its child ( which is the Header Control)

Step 2 : when you get CustomDraw notification, set the appropriate Colors into the DC, at appropriate painting stage ITEMPREPAINT

Step 3 : The actual paiting work is left for the Default procedure.

Future work: For exotic paiting, you can create a OwnerDraw header button(s) and handle WM_DRAWITEM . It is possible.

I am working on this presently (24/7/99), and shall post it on the Codeguru (VB) site, once it is ready.

This is an enhancement of Colored Listview Items example taken from the Codeguru (VB) site. The original example is by Chris Eastwood. I tried to retain most of the Code, as it is. His code uses a subclassing control, while this uses none. But you have to follow some compulsory steps, so as not to have your VB IDE crashed:-)

** Important & compulsory steps to use this code:

Step 1: Setup the subclass :

Call HooktoLV(listview1.hwnd,True), where listview1 is the Listview control that you want to subclass. Put this line in the Form_load procedure of the form that has this listview.

Step 2 : Set the Foreground and Background colors of the listview header buttons using global variables glHdrTextClr and glHdrBkClr Note that changes take effect only at the next painting cycle.

So, for dynamic changing, use listview.refresh to paint immediately.

Step 3 : Remove the subclass :

Call HooktoLV(Byval 0& , False)

Preffered point of calling this is in Form_QueryUnload. Form_Unload will also work.

Known Bugs : Only one, as far as i could test:

This code paints the header buttons *ONLY*. So if you have the buttons not covering the entire list view, the portion between the last button and listview right edge, still looks "Grey". So, Look for Chris' code elsewhere on Codeguru site to set the last button to occupy the whole of Client area till right-edge of the ListView.

How to decrese the row height of ListView in VB.

ListView Problem

I have three columns in ListView control and if i click on first column header - the text in column header shouls appear in RED color. If you do, can you please send me a sample code or a web site where it shows how to do it. Thanks in advance. Ricky

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